Some friends of mine have installed the public beta of Windows 7. They're saying good things about it; everybody except one malcontent thinks that it's going to be an improvement over Vista, which in my mind is what new releases are for. I thought that the multiple versions of Vista was a good idea. We're seeing different builds for different needs. VL does this along with some other Linux distributions. One obvious example is Ubuntu.

The article calls the different versions "flavours." I'm kind of hoping they'll have razzle-dazzleberry.

Tom

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"I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." - Linus Torvalds, April 1991

I have not tried most of *buntu flavours. Are they really different flavours or just ubuntu - gnome + (Put your favourite desktop) ?

Do they focus on different users with different approaches or just for the following situations:

- I want linux without that systray on top.- What? linux? there are lots of linux distros.- Mmmm.., yeah whatever. I want that linux, you know, not the one with brown wallpaper, I want the blue, without the second systray.- Get kubuntu.- Oh, thanks. N0W 1 caN WrlT3 l1k3 th1s - Forget me....

I have the feeling that except ubuntu server edition, most *buntu variants are just ubuntu's makeups.

Remember, that's still very weak compared to Baskin-Robbins, with its dizzying array of 31 flavors.

EDIT - it looks like the six SKU's are merely degrees of crippleware. The first one, which can run only three applications concurrently, is even more of an insult than the discount variant of XP they tried to hawk in Thailand (that one ran all of four applications).

That being said, I'll bet you can turn Starter into Ultimate through Registry settings.

My first answer is that I really don't know since the only *buntu I've tried is Xubuntu. I was doing a comparison of various Xfce-based distributions just to see what they were like. It didn't have the graphical tools that come with VL, so that was a little underwhelming. In order to add a partition to be mounted at boot time you need to edit fstab, which normally wouldn't be a problem, except they're using some version of fstab that requires a UUID for each partition. I didn't feel like spending too much time on that, so I wiped it.

My second answer is that I think you're probably right, with the possible exception of Edubuntu, which according to their web site is specially customized for educational purposes. My guess is that means software for schools comes with the install, but I don't know for sure, since I've never tried it.

Tom

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"I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." - Linus Torvalds, April 1991

Starter Edition: A lightweight version for netbook computers, that will only be capable of running three applications concurrently. It will lack the vast majority of the advanced features, such as Media Center and touchscreen support, but will include the new Taskbar and Home Group feature.

Sorry, I used to spend a lot of time on Slashdot. Too much time apparently.

On a serious note, I think Linux is a pretty clear better option for netbooks. If Windows 7 Starter Edition will only let you run three applications concurrently (I suppose we'll have to see if things really turn out that way) then VL Light would be a much better option. For that matter, just about any Linux distribution, properly configured, would be a better option. I'm really not sure why somebody would want Media Center support on a netbook.

Tom

« Last Edit: February 04, 2009, 09:17:01 am by tomh38 »

Logged

"I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." - Linus Torvalds, April 1991

Remember, that's still very weak compared to Baskin-Robbins, with its dizzying array of 31 flavors.

EDIT - it looks like the six SKU's are merely degrees of crippleware. The first one, which can run only three applications concurrently, is even more of an insult than the discount variant of XP they tried to hawk in Thailand (that one ran all of four applications).

That being said, I'll bet you can turn Starter into Ultimate through Registry settings.

I can't blame you for the mistake, as this statue was executed in a lovingly detailed Neoclassical style, plus the ideal man in Indian legends appears to be somewhat feminized, but it stands near the banks of the Ganges and definitely represents a guy